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Second Skin (episode)
Kira is kidnapped by the Cardassians, who try to convince her that she is really one of them. Summary Quark finds a glum Dax sitting by herself in the Replimat. She fears she has been stood up by Kira, with whom she had plans to go anti-grav sailing in the holosuites. Kira finally does show and admits, though she hates the holosuites in general, she is looking forward to this outing. But as they are leaving the Replimat, Kira receives a communication from the Bajoran Central Archives. Scholar Alenis Grem is studying Elemspur prison and wants to ask Kira some questions about it. Kira is happy to help but cannot understand why Alenis is coming to her, since she was never at Elemspur. Alenis is puzzled by this. Cardassian records clearly indicate that a Kira Nerys, member of the Shakaar Resistance Cell, was held at Elemspur during the Occupation for seven days. Kira is shocked when a mug shot of her, apparently from ten years ago, appears on the screen. Above them, on the second level of the Promenade, an alien woman, Yteppa, observes. Later, Kira discusses this mystery with Odo. He tells her that clearly either the records or her memory is wrong. But Kira insists she knows exactly where she was that week. Odo is skeptical that she can remember her whereabouts ten years after the fact. Kira says that that entire winter was quite memorable because the Shakaar had to hide in caves from the Cardassians, with little food or phaser power. The records have to be fake and she has to find out who did it and why. Odo suggests that she contact one the other inmates listed as her cellmates in the records. Kira contacts Yeln, the only surviving cellmate. To her astonishment, he recognizes her and says the Cardassians dragged her out of their cell. That was the last he saw of her. He is glad to see that she survived the ordeal. Kira is deeply disturbed that both records and witnesses disagree with her memory of events. She tells Sisko that she has to find out the truth and he gives his blessing for a trip to Bajor to investigate. After Kira boards the tranport leaving for the planet, Yteppa follows her on. In the Replimat, Bashir and Garak are sharing a table. Bashir tells the tailor about his recent trip to Klaestron IV and Garak expresses his envy of the doctor's freedom. Bashir wonders if Garak fears the Cardassian government would kill him if he left the station. Garak denies that this is case. Bashir does not believe him, but lets it go. Sisko and Dax are concerned when Alenis Grem informs them that Kira never showed up at Elemspur. Apparently she disappeared after leaving the spaceport on Bajor. In a dark room, Kira is laying unconscious on a bed. A voice from the shadows says "Wake her" and Yteppa gives her a hypospray. Kira sits up, groggy, and Yteppa tells her she is safe. In front of her is mirror and Kira sees herself in it. To her horror, the face staring back at her is Cardassian. Entek steps out of the shadows and tells her she is home...on Cardassia. Kira is stunned and backs away from them. Whatever they want from her, they are not going to get, she vows. Entek explains that she is an undercover field operative of the Obsidian Order, named Iliana Ghemor. Her appearance and memories were altered so that she could infiltrate the Bajoran Resistance. She has been given drugs to reverse the memory loss and help her reintegrate into Cardassian society. Although, of course, she does not yet remember it, Entek supervised her training in the Order. Kira does not believe him but he tells her she is standing in the house where she was born. He gives her a data chip on which he claims she recorded a message to herself before she left on her mission to Bajor and leaves. Kira makes no move to view it. On the station, Sisko, Dax, and Odo discuss their search for Kira. Scans have found a residual electrostatic charge in the area where she was last seen. Sisko thinks that may indicate that she was transported away and wants a list of all ships in the area at the time. He asks Odo to get all the transporter activity logs for that area. Dax admits that the charge may have been caused by disruptor or phaser fire. But Sisko is not ready to believe that yet. Kira finds that window of her room is guarded by a force field. Entek enters and tells her that someone wants to see her. It is Tekeny Ghemor, her father. Ghemor is overjoyed to see her but she rebuffs him, telling him her father died fighting Cardassians on Bajor. Entek does not want to leave them alone together but Ghemor insists that his daughter would never harm him. When they are alone, he tells Kira how much he has missed her. Kira reacts with hostility. Ghemor is saddened but knows it is only because her memory of her Cardassian life has not resurfaced yet. He tells her to consider herself his guest and leaves. On the station, Garak tells Bashir that he has urgent news about Kira. Kira searches her room for surveillance devices. Ghemor brings her a breakfast of Bajoran hasperat and tells her that the Obsidian Order devices are not turned on in his house unless he requests it, since he is a member of Central Command. She turns down the food. Ghemor notices her admiring a carving and tells her she made it for him when he was promoted to Legate. He says he wishes she had become an artist, instead of joining the Order. But she was as stubborn as her mother. Kira angrily informs him that her mother died of malnutrition in the Singha refugee camp. Ghemor insists that her mother was an inquisitor at the Central University. He wishes he had stopped her from going on her mission to Bajor but she had been so determined. Her mother never forgave him. Kira tells him he is very convincing, but she still does not believe a word of his story. She storms away, ignoring his apologies. On the station, Sisko and Odo want Garak to repeat what he told Bashir. He tells them there is nothing they can do for Kira, if she is being held by the Obsidian Order. But they believe that, with Garak's help, they can save her. Garak is dubious but agrees to help when Sisko threatens him with removal from the station. Sisko's plan to reach Cardassia is to disguise the Defiant as a Kobheerian freighter, using shield modifications. Entek is concerned that Kira's memory of her life as Iliana has not resurfaced yet. Usually the drugs work in a few hours but two days have now passed. He says he has to start questioning her. Ghemor objects but Entek insists and tells him he should not worried about her safety, since she is member of the Order. Ghemor tells Kira that he will be right in the next room anyway. Entek interrogates Kira about Deep Space 9. She does not take him seriously and offers obviously false answers. Entek is not satisfied with the information she gives him and decides to use other methods to convince her she is really Iliana. He tells her the Order saves everything and has a biological specimen beamed into room. Kira pulls back the covering sheet to reveal a Bajoran corpse. She is looking at her own body. She insists it has to be a clone or a hologram. But now fear has started to set in. Entek reminds her of an incident during her time in the Resistence, when she shot a hara cat. She had never told anyone about it and Entek says he knows about it because he implanted that memory. Kira's doubt deepens. Entek leaves her, saying that he cannot wait much longer for the information he needs from her. If she does not supply it soon, he will have to take it from her mind by force. Later, Ghemor walks in on Kira while she is disabling the window force field. He tells her she tripped a silent alarm and in any case would not get far if she tried to escape. Kira tells him that she will never cooperate with the Order and, if he wants to help her, he has to get her off Cardassia. Ghemor assures her that, no matter what happens, he would never let them hurt her. He begs her to watch the recording Iliana made before she decides what to do. Kira watches the recording, which shows a young Cardassian woman who looks and sounds very much like her. She is earnest in her belief that she is doing the right thing in going to Bajor, even though her parents do not agree. On the Defiant, Sisko and his team get the chance to test their ruse when they are intercepted by Cardassian warships. Through the holofilter, Sisko informs Gul Benil that he is Captain Viterian of the Kobheerian freighter Rak-Miunis, on its way to Cardassia Prime. Benil is skeptical and insists that all incoming ships must be seached on the order of Central Command. Garak tells Sisko to drop the holofilter and let him talk to Benil. The crew are wary but do it. Garak supplies the surprised Benil with a proper clearance code and tells him to turn his ships around and speak to no one of the meeting. The crew are astonished when Benil agrees. Garak says "Just something I overheard while hemming someone's pants". Entek continues his interrogation of Kira. He is starting to wear her down, although she still gives away nothing. She is near the point of tears. Ghemor enters and orders him to stop. Entek is furious that Ghemor would second guess the Order but backs down. He tells Kira that the next time he sees her, it will have to be at Order headquarters. He leaves and the distraught Kira smashes the mirror on the wall. Ghemor comforts her and, to her amazement, tells her he will get her off Cardassia. Later, Ghemor gives Kira a bracelet he says belonged to her mother. She does not want to accept it but he insists. Then he introduces her to Ari, the young Cardassian who is going to help her escape. Ari states his belief that Central Command wields too much power over the lives of Cardassians. Kira is shocked by what she is hearing. She now realizes that they are members of the Cardassian Underground. Ghemor urges Kira to get away while she can but she hesitates because she can not believe that this mere coincidence. Perhaps the Order was never after her at all. They are trying to expose Ghemor by forcing him to save her. This is confirmed when Entek and two aides arrive, phasers drawn. Ghemor calls for a beam out but finds that there is a transporter suppression field around the house. Entek shots and kills Ari when he tries to resist. Entek gloats that he has now put an end to the resistance. Just then, Garak and Sisko, who is carrying a backpack, arrive. The backpack turns out to be Odo, who surprises and disarms Entek. Sisko offers to take Ghemor with them and he quickly agrees. As the group is leaving, Entek pulls a hidden phaser and Garak is forced to kill him. Back on the station, Kira is back to her old Bajoran self, and tells Ghemor that Bashir has confirmed that she is indeed Bajoran. She wonders why Entek went to all the trouble of altering her, when the real Iliana would have done just as well. But Ghemor reminds her that the drugs would have worked on Iliana and she would have cooperated with the Order, giving Entek no opportunity to attack Ghemor. Ghemor believes that she is still alive and hopes that they will someday be reunited. Meanwhile, the Mathenite government has offered him sanctuary, although Kira, who has grown fond of him, wishes he would stay. Before he goes, Ghemor gives Kira some fatherly advice: never trust Garak. She tries to give him back the bracelet but Ghemor says she should keep it, since she is the closest thing he has to family. Kira tells him she knows he is an honorable man and that his daughter must have loved him very much. Memorable Quotes "Treason, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder." : - Garak Background Information *Ghemor appears again the fifth season episode "Ties of Blood and Water." *Colm Meaney (Miles O'Brien) and Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) do not appear in this episode. *This is the first episode of the series to have music composed by David Bell. *In the original version of this episode, Kira really was Iliana, not merely surgically altered to resemble her. *In the first sequence where the Cardassians contact Sisko while he is using the holofilter, the only scene you see of the Kohbeerian disguise is stock footage of the original Captain from "Duet", with Avery Brooks lip syncing the first sentence. The original actor in the makeup was not credited in this episode. Links and References Main Cast * Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko * Rene Auberjonois as Odo * Siddig El Fadil as Julian Bashir * Terry Farrell as Jadzia Dax * Armin Shimerman as Quark * Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys/Iliana Ghemor Guest Stars * Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak * Gregory Sierra as Corbin Entek * Tony Papenfuss as Yeln * Cindy Katz as Yteppa ;And: * Lawrence Pressman as Tekeny Ghemor Co-Stars * Christopher Carroll as Benil * Freyda Thomas as Alenis Grem * Billy Burke as Ari * Norman Large as Viterian (uncredited) References Alpha Red priority mission; anti-grav sailing; Bajor; Bajorans; Bajoran Central Archives; Bajoran Militia; Bestri Woods; Cardassia Prime; Cardassian; Cardassian Central Command; Cardassian Central University; Cardassian dissident movement; communications holo-filter; cryogenic chamber; Dahkur Hills; Dahkur Province; ''Defiant'', USS; Demilitarized Zone; desegranine; disruptor; Dominion; Eighth Order; electrostatic charge; Elmspur; Elmspur Detention Center; ''Galor''-class; Great Erg; hara cat; hasperat; holosuite; Icon painting; isolinear rod; Kira Meru; Kira Taban; Klaestrons; Klaestron IV; Kobheerians; Kobheerian freighter; Kobheerian toranium; Legate; Liaison officer; Maquis; Mathenites; New Mecca; Obsidian Order; Obsidian Order Headquarters; phaser; power cell; Rak-Miunis; Replimat; screech rhino; Shakaar Resistance Cell; shield harmonics; shield modulator; Singha Refugee Camp; Starfleet Intelligence; toranium. Category:DS9 episodes de:Die zweite Haut es:Second Skin nl:Second Skin